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Labor turnover before plant closure: "Leaving the sinking ship" vs. "Captain throwing ballast overboard"

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  • Schwerdt, Guido

Abstract

Involuntary job loss in administrative data is commonly identified by exploiting the exogenous nature of mass layoffs or plant closures. However, prior knowledge can lead to selection in the labor turnover of distressed firms. This paper proposes a simple method to determine if and when selective turnover sets in. Based on a rich administrative data set for Austria, we show that separations up to two quarters before plant closure should be included in the treatment group. Moreover, we find that early leavers are associated with significantly lower costs of job loss due to plant closure.

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  • Schwerdt, Guido, 2011. "Labor turnover before plant closure: "Leaving the sinking ship" vs. "Captain throwing ballast overboard"," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 93-101, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:18:y:2011:i:1:p:93-101
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Plant closure Labor turnover Exact matching Employer-employee data;

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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